Just You

Closed Eyes (4)

She was now alone with her thoughts. And the only thing she could think of was Draco. As she skimmed the books on the nearest shelf, she thought of the boy she once hated. He had always been annoying, but Harry always hated him more than she did. Even with his blood prejudice, she knew he was a kid who didn't know better. And when he took the dark mark in sixth year, she knew he was forced. She could recall the battle of Hogwarts, seeing his face. His expression was clear in her mind: regret and sadness. As for the events that unfolded at Malfoy Manor... Hermione at least didn't blame him.
Of course, it was difficult to forgive him at first, but she knew that all he had to do was unlearn what his parents had taught him. So, she testified for him at his trial. So did Harry, but Ron wouldn't budge. Hermione and Harry both agreed to forgive him for what he had done, after all, he was only seventeen. It seemed her and Harry's testament convinced the ministry, and all he had to do was return to Hogwarts for his eighth year, which most were doing anyways. There was one specific memory which was always on her mind though. The day of his trial, afterwards, Draco had approached her.
    "Hey, listen, I just wanted to say thank you." Hermione was stunned. She didn't think she had heard him say those words to anyone and mean it. "It means a lot to me that you would do something like this for me. Especially since I've been a complete and total git towards you for the last six years. But, I want you to know that I'm sorry, for everything. For anything that I said or did to make you feel horrible."
    "Thank you for the apology. It means a lot. I'm glad to know." Draco nodded, and with that, walked away. She was frozen. She had never expected anything of the sort to come from him. But it did, and since that day, her opinion of the boy she once thought she knew changed forever.
    The next time she heard from him was when they were mailing back and forth for head business, and she didn't know what to expect from him. It was obvious he had done a lot of growth, and changed.
    But the thing Hermione always thought about is if he really changed at all. She never thought Malfoy was a bad person, he was just taught the wrong things by awful people. He was probably this way all along, he just had to grow up. So when she opened the compartment door to find him, she was ready for a new Malfoy, but also the one she knew as a girl. But Hermione never saw it coming that he could be attractive to her. Sure, he had always been cute, and the gossip surrounding him and his girlfriends were enough to make her blush, but he was a prat. And she certainly hadn't been paying attention to his looks during his trial. And now...
    Now something was different. But nevermind all that. She had a bet to win. She exited the library and went into the room with a Gryffindor knocker. It was decorated beautifully. Not overly Gryffindor, but there were gold and red accents to be found around the room. It was filled with all her stuff neatly set on shelves and surfaces all around. And she finally had a big bed! This was going to be amazing.
She took out her schedule from her school trunk to get a last look at her classes for the week before she went to bed. She was taking classes for seven NEWTS this year, the most you can take. She knew it would be a lot to handle, but who was Hermione Granger if she wasn't the smartest student at Hogwarts? She wouldn't let herself fail. And with Harry and Ron at the ministry, there weren't going to be any shenanigans for her this year.
She missed them dearly, and often let her thoughts back to the time when they were inseparable, through good and bad. Sometimes, she even missed the war. She missed those moments when they forgot the outside world, and it was like camping with her two best friends as they laughed the bad thoughts away. Hermione brushed her forearm instinctively. Looking down, she remembered her torture. Hermione thought of it often, mostly in her dreams and nightmares. No matter how much she wished she would forget it ever happened, her own screams filled her head and Bellatix's laugh haunted her as she recalled the pain. The hours and hours before she was finally let go. Hermione willed it away. She was stronger than that. She had to be. If she let herself think about it too much, she might cry for days.
Hermione took deep breaths as she washed away her thoughts. She looked at her room to find a secondary door. She walked over to what she assumed was extra closet space, but instead found a bathroom. One toilet, two showers, and a double vanity.
    She and Malfoy were going to be sharing a bathroom. How great.
    There was a door on the other side, to what she would guess was his room. She went in and brushed her teeth. When she was done and washing her face, she heard his door open. She was about to look at him through the mirror when she remembered the bet she promised herself she would win. He said nothing as he approached the other vanity closer to his door and also started to prepare for bed.
    "Are you going to bed now? I thought you might go down to the slytherin welcome party tonight." She continued to eye her face, trying her best to look busy as she talked.
    "I know your opinion of me isn't the highest, but I do actually care about school, you know. My grades are just as good as yours." Hermione scoffed.
    "Just as good and nearly just as good are two different things, Malfoy." She reached down to get her moisturizer.
    "Really? I'm aiming to change that this year."
    "Malfoy, you can't even beat me in a bet to get me to admit you're hot. Why on earth would you think you could ever beat me in grades?"
    "Careful Granger, the bet's not over yet. We've only just begun." She could feel him closer now. For what reason did her heartbeat increase? He stepped closer yet again, and she closed her eyes. She knew she would be able to see him in the mirror. "And I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I think you do find me hot, don't you?" His fingertips ghosted across her hips, and Hermione gave a barely audible gasp. "I'll tell you what's going to happen." His voice was a whisper in her ear. "I'm going to win this bet, and you're going to tell me all the forbidden things you think about me." His fingers circled her hip bone. "I want to know what you think of when you space out, and what you dream of when you get lost in my eyes." His hand gripped her hip, and Hermione gave a faint whimper. "I'll leave you with your thoughts. We both have classes in the morning. Goodnight, Granger."
    And then he was gone. When Hermione opened her eyes a moment later, his door was closed, and she was all alone. She hurried off to bed, wanting sleep to take her away from her racing thoughts. Why did Draco Malfoy make her breathe quicken? Why did she blush when he whispered in her ear? Why did she wish he had stayed when he went away? She desperately wished sleep would take her from her crazy mind. But when she closed her eyes, all she saw was gray.